Way guard



June 1951 J. M. WALTER 2,557,850

WAY GUARD Filed Nov. 15, 1946 I INVENTOR- WWW ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 19 1951 WAY GUARD John M. Walter, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The G. A. Gray Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 15, 1946, Serial No. 709,979

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to devices for protecting the supporting Ways of certain large machine tools, in which the column supporting the tools is moved to and from an elevated bed on which the work is supported. Normally on such machines the bed is provided with a table which can be adjusted along the bed and locked in position, or else can be caused to traverse past certain types of tools which are operated from the column. Such a machine, for example, is a planer type boring, drilling, and milling machine.

So far as I am advised there has been no adequate device provided for protecting the ways which support the column in its movement to and from the bed, in such machines as above outlined, to prevent metal particles falling from the work from becoming lodged on the ways bringing about wear of the supporting surfaces and eventually inaccurate or jerky movements of the column on the ways. Various types of wipers have been used and frequent cleaning of the supporting ways, and also telescoping covers for the ways, but these are not satisfactory because the wipers do not perform an adequate job and the operator is likely to be careless about cleaning up while a piece of work is being treated in the machine, and the telescoping ways do not prevent grit from working through the telescoping points. Furthermore, the supporting Ways are lubricated and a cleaning which removes the lubrication is not desirable, as well as the attendant fact that the lubricant tends to hold particles of grit in place.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a planer type horizontal boring, drilling, and milling machine.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine showing the application of my invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective of one of the guards.

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective of the roller support bracket.

I indicate a bed at l, and a table at 2 for said planer type machine, and a base 3, for the column 4 of the machine. The base has located thereon a series of ways 5 which are generally rectangular in cross section, with flat tops. The column 4 (the mounting plate therefor being the only part shown) is formed with rectangular channels lengthwise thereof which ride over the ways.

Figure 3 shows the cross section of the table 2 bed I, which, it will be noted, is box type in construction as here shown, and has openings 6 therein, transversely thereof. The portion which cooperates in my present invention involves these openings. Any passageway of a dimension somewhat larger than the cross section of the ways.

5 would serve the purpose. When mounting tothat the ways 5 project in line with the openings in the side of the table bed.

With such a set up, I provide inverted channel-like guard plates 1, which are of a shape to lie over the Ways, one guard plate for each way. These guard plates are secured to the column mounting plate, in the example shown, by means of an upturned flange 8 at the inner end of the guard plate in each case. This particular mode of mounting may be modified to clear elements used for gibbing the movement of the column over the ways, the point being to secure the guard plates to the moving member so that the supporting way beneath the guard is adequately covered at the point of junction of the guard and the moving member.

The guards are of such length as to project into the openings 6 in the table bed, at the position of the column furthest from the said bed within the normal range of operations of the machine. Thus, there is no point between the moving member and the table bed where the supporting ways are exposed, since the inverted channel shape guards lie over and protect them from material falling down from the work, picked up on operators shoes who walk over the ways, etc.

The guards are heavy enough to support the Weight of an operator and are preferably so mounted on the moving member that they do not contact with the top surface of the ways, at least. Since they project a substantial distance from the moving member, for the purpose described above, it is required that some support be given to them, at their ends beyond the ways. This support may be subject to various forms, the one I have shown being simple and sturdy. Thus, I providea bracket consisting of a plate 9 which is bolted to the table bed, either on the inside or on the outside. This plate 9 is of a size to fit within the guard plate and preferably is of a dimension to serve a lateral aligning function. The plate 9 has ears l0 thereon which support pins H on which rollers l2 are mounted. The rollers I2 project somewhat above the edge of the mounting plate of the bracket, and

the plate is bolted into place where the rollers will lie inside of the guards in each case, with the guards resting upon them in the position of elevation thereof above the supporting ways on the column supporting base, or as above termed on the base on which the ways are formed, to mount and guide the movin member of the machine.

If the brackets are mounted on the outside face of the bed, then the ways on the base will terminate short of the table bed sufiiciently to clear a space for the rollers and. brackets. From a position of observation of the machine from the outside, instead of the supporting ways being visible they are housed in the guards and the movement of the guards in no wise impedes the movement of the moving memberon the: supporting ways therefor.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a stationary bed, a work supporting table movably mounted on said bed, a base having ways thereon extending transversely of said bed beneath said table, a moving member slidably mounted on said base and traveling on said ways to and from the side of said bed and table, elongated guard members of sufficient strength to support an operators weight, each of said guard members being, fixed at one end to said moving member; and means on the bed to support the other end of each of said guard members, each of said guard members being free of support intermediate the ends thereof, said bed having openings aligned with said ways, said guard members projecting into said openings and being of a length to lie beneath said table within said openings in the various normal positions of said moving member with reference to said bed and table, said guard members housing the tops at least of said ways, and said support means being so located as to maintain said guard members completely out of contact with said ways, whereby said ways between said table and said moving member are not exposed to material falling from said table.

2'. The combination of claim 1 in which each of said guard members comprises an inverted channel.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which said support means comprises rollers arranged to engage the under side of said guard members.

4. The combination of claim 1 in which each of said guard members comprises an inverted channel, and in which said support means comprises a mounting plate of a length to fit within saidinverted channel sufficiently to act as a lateral aligner, and roller means mounted on said plate and projecting above said plate to engagethe underside of said inverted channel.

JOHN M. WALTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 848,578 Thelin Mar. 26, 1907 1,575,735 Burrell et al Mar. 9', 1926 2,417,672 Armitage Mar. 18, 1947 

